Aims
Body cell mass is directly proportional to the bioimpedance phase‐angle which is an indicator of the amount of electrical charge that cell membranes can hold and is an index of cellular health ...and function. To evaluate whether the bioimpedance phase angle is relevant for indicating catabolism in people with diabetes and whether it discriminates between people with diabetes receiving different types of therapy.
Methods
A cross‐sectional study was performed in 182 people with Type 2 diabetes and 107 age‐ and BMI‐matched control subjects. The phase angle was measured at 5, 50 and 100 kHz using multifrequency bioimpedance analysis. The phase angles were compared among different diabetes therapy groups (untreated patients with diabetes, patients receiving oral antidiabetic drugs and patients receiving insulin therapy).
Results
The phase angle at 100 kHz strongly correlated with total body potassium (r = 0.70, P = 0.001), and was therefore a good indicator of body cell mass. The phase angle at 100 kHz discriminated more strongly between patients with Type 2 diabetes and control subjects than did the phase angle at 50 kHz. Compared with control subjects, patients with Type 2 diabetes had a smaller phase angle at 100 kHz (men: 5.2° vs. 4.5°, P < 0.0001; women: 4.8° vs. 4.2°, P < 0.0001) and a smaller phase angle at 50 kHz (men: 5.9° vs. 5.3°, P < 0.0001; women: 5.4° vs. 4.8°, P = 0.0001), but a larger phase angle at 5 kHz (men: 2.0° vs. 2.6°, P = 0.0001; women: 2.3° vs. 3.0°, P = 0.00001). Phase angle ratios better discriminated between patients and control subjects than phase angles alone (phase angle at 5 kHz/ phase angle at 50 kHz ratio, P = 1.51 × 10−16; phase angle at 5kHz/phase angle at 100 kHz ratio, P = 2.13 × 10−15). No differences were found among phase angles in the different therapy groups. In patients with diabetes, the phase angle at 50 kHz and the phase angle at 100 kHz correlated inversely with duration of disease (men: P = 0.026, P = 0.016; women: only phase angle at 100 kHz, P = 0.003) and with HbA1c concentration (men: P = 0.010, P = 0.001; women: P = 0.007, P = 0.043).
Conclusions
The phase angle at 100 kHz is a promising measurement for assessing catabolic state in people with diabetes.
What's new?
The bioimpedance phase angle is an indicator of the amount of electrical charge that cell membranes can hold and is an index of cellular health and function. The phase angle at 100kHz better discriminates between people with Type 2 diabetes and people without diabetes than the phase angle at 50 kHz.
The phase angle at 100 kHz is lower in people with diabetes and might be a helpful diagnostic marker in Type 2 diabetes.
The phase angle at 100 kHz positively correlates with total body potassium which is indicative of body cell mass; thus, it might be useful for routine assessment of catabolic state and poor control in people with diabetes.
The human pathogen Haemophilus influenzae was the main cause of bacterial meningitis in children and a major cause of worldwide infant mortality before the introduction of a vaccine in the 1980s. ...Although the occurrence of serotype b (Hib), the most virulent type of H. influenzae, has since decreased, reports of infections with other serotypes and non-typeable strains are on the rise. While non-typeable strains have been studied in-depth, very little is known of the pathogen's evolutionary history, and no genomes dating prior to 1940 were available.
We describe a Hib genome isolated from a 6-year-old Anglo-Saxon plague victim, from approximately 540 to 550 CE, Edix Hill, England, showing signs of invasive infection on its skeleton. We find that the genome clusters in phylogenetic division II with Hib strain NCTC8468, which also caused invasive disease. While the virulence profile of our genome was distinct, its genomic similarity to NCTC8468 points to mostly clonal evolution of the clade since the 6th century. We also reconstruct a partial Yersinia pestis genome, which is likely identical to a published first plague pandemic genome of Edix Hill.
Our study presents the earliest genomic evidence for H. influenzae, points to the potential presence of larger genomic diversity in the phylogenetic division II serotype b clade in the past, and allows the first insights into the evolutionary history of this major human pathogen. The identification of both plague and Hib opens questions on the effect of plague in immunocompromised individuals already affected by infectious diseases.
The valence band photoelectron spectra of liquid water (H2O and D2O) are studied in the photon energy range from hν = 60 to 120 eV. The experiments use a 6 μm diameter liquid-jet free vacuum surface ...at the MBI undulator beamline of the synchrotron radiation facility BESSY. Photoelectron emission from all four valence molecular orbitals (MOs) is observed. In comparison to those of the gas phase, the peaks are significantly broadened and shifted to lower binding energies by about 1.5 eV. This is attributed primarily to the electronic polarization of the solvent molecules around an ionized water molecule. Energy shifts, peak broadening, and relative peak intensities for the four MOs differ because of their specific participation in the hydrogen bonding in liquid water. Relative photoionization cross sections for MOs were measured for hν = 60, 80, and 100 eV. The main difference for liquid water, as compared to the gas phase, is the relative intensity decrease of the 1b 2 and 3a 1 orbitals, reflecting changes of the MOs due to H-bonding.
Introduction
Since FDA approval for contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), clinical applications have increased to include diagnostic imaging of hepatic, renal, and other abdominal lesions. The ...modality has also demonstrated utility in certain image-guided procedures. Intravascular ultrasound contrast agents use microbubbles to improve visibility of solid tumors. Lesions not well seen on grayscale or Doppler ultrasound may become amenable to CEUS-guided biopsy or ablation.
Materials and Methods
This pictorial essay provides eleven examples to illustrate the current use of CEUS in a variety of abdominal image-guided procedures. Hepatic, renal, peritoneal, and soft tissue cases are presented.
Conclusion
CEUS can improve visualization and targeting in abdominal image-guided procedures, without nephrotoxicity or radiation exposure.
Data regarding familial prevalence and recurrence risk ratio of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) in Germany are lacking. The data from 179 German families of AITD patients encompassing 1 229 ...relatives were collected using standardized clinical and laboratory diagnostic criteria. Of this large collective, 86 AITD index cases with their 139 children and 106 AITD index cases with their 157 siblings were included. The familial prevalence was estimated by the recurrence risk ratio. This quotient indicates whether first degree relatives display an increased risk for developing AITD, compared with the general population. AITD were present in 14% of children and 15% of siblings of patients with AITD. Female gender was frequently affected in both offspring (female:male ratio=3:1) and siblings (11:1). Daughters (19%) and sisters (24%) were more frequently affected than sons (7%) and brothers (3%). The risk for developing AITD was 16-fold and 15-fold increased in children and siblings, respectively, of patients with AITD. In particular, children and siblings of index cases with Hashimoto's thyroiditis had a 32-fold and 21-fold increased risk, respectively, for developing immunthyroiditis. In comparison, the risk for developing Graves' disease was enhanced 7-fold in both children and siblings. The high prevalence of AITD in first degree, foremost female, relatives of patients with AITD demonstrates the importance of family history for developing AITD. Hence, regular screening of children and siblings of patients with AITD for presence of immunethyroiditis is recommended.
Z′ studies at the LHC: an update Dittmar, Michael; Nicollerat, Anne-Sylvie; Djouadi, Abdelhak
Physics letters. B,
03/2004, Letnik:
583, Številka:
1-2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
We reanalyse the potential of the LHC to discover new Z′ gauge bosons and to discriminate between various theoretical models. Using a fast LHC detector simulation, we have investigated how well the ...characteristics of Z′ bosons from different models can be measured. For this analysis we have combined the information coming from the cross section measurement, which provides also the Z′ mass and total width, the forward–backward charge asymmetries on- and off-peak, and the Z′ rapidity distribution, which is sensitive to its uū and dd̄ couplings. We confirm that new Z′ bosons can be observed in the process pp→Z′→ℓ+ℓ−, up to masses of about 5 TeV for an integrated luminosity of 100 fb−1. The off- and on-resonance peak forward–backward charge asymmetries AFBℓ show that interesting statistical accuracies can be obtained up to Z′ masses of the order of 2 TeV. We then show how the different experimental observables allow for a diagnosis of the Z′ boson and the distinction between the various considered models.
The valence band photoemission of aqueous alkali-metal halide solutions is studied for photon energies from 90 to 110 eV. A 6 μm diameter liquid microjet provides a free vacuum surface, allowing ...water molecules to evaporate without collisions, and hence enables the direct detection of photoelectrons originating from the liquid. The experiments were performed at the MBI undulator beamline of the synchrotron radiation facility BESSY. Here, we focus on the determination of electron binding energies of solvated anions and cations. The effect of different countercations (Li+, Na+, K+, and Cs+), and salt concentrations is systematically investigated. Electron binding energies of the solvated ions are found to differ considerably from those in the gas phase; contrary to intuition, the energies do not depend on the salt concentration. Measured binding energies can be surprisingly well explained within a simple dielectric cavity model. For a NaI aqueous solution, negative surface excess is inferred from the evolution of the ion photoemission signal as a function of the salt concentration.
Newell’s Shearwater (
Puffinus auricularis newelli;
NESH) and Hawaiian Petrel (
Pterodroma sandwichensis;
HAPE) are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and have declined by 94% and 78%, ...respectively, since 1993 due to habitat degradation, predation by introduced predators, collisions with powerlines and light attraction. Given the challenges in protecting nesting birds in their rugged montane habitats, it has long been desirable to create populations of both species in more accessible locations that offer a higher level of protection. We translocated 110 HAPE and 86 NESH chicks over a six-year period from 2015-2020 to a 2.5-ha predator-free enclosure on Kaua`i, Hawai`i. In addition to invasive plant removal and native plant out-planting, we installed 76 artificial burrows to provide nesting sites. Chicks were tube fed 1-20% of their body weight daily in the form of a slurry comprised of squid, fish, salmon oil, and Pedialyte. All NESH and 96% (N=106) of HAPE survived to fledging. Eight HAPE, including three breeding pairs, and one NESH have returned as adults to the translocation site and HAPE have bred at the site, resulting in the first predator-free breeding colony of this species.
The enzyme DNASE1 plays an important role in the hydrolysis of double-stranded DNA and might be related to autoimmunity. Therefore, the authors hypothesized that patients with autoimmune thyroid ...disease show a reduced expression of the DNASE1 gene. DNASE1 mRNA was quantitatively analyzed in 20 patients (10 with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and 10 with Graves' disease) and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls by real-time reverse transcription PCR in a lightcycler using SYBR-Green-format. For relative quantification, the mRNA ratio of the DNASE1 gene to the house keeping gene β2-MICROGLOBULIN was used. The house keeping gene was proved not to be regulated by autoimmune thyroid disease. The interassay coefficient of variation for patients and controls was 22.2% and 15.6%, respectively, suggesting good reproducibility of measurements. The mean expression of the DNASE1 mRNA in patients was 0.52±0.22 (range 0.18-0.99) and in controls 0.95±0.22 (0.66-1.43). The expression level of the DNASE1 gene was strongly decreased in patients, amounting only 54.7% of that in controls (p<0.001). The lowered expression level in patients was not related to age or sex. This study demonstrated for the first time a downregulation of the DNASE1 mRNA expression in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease. This might result in degrading less DNA from dying cells, thereby promoting the development of thyroid autoimmunity.
Background
To plan for cancer services in the future, the long view of cancer prevalence is essential. It might be suspected that cancer prevalence before tobacco and industrial revolution pollutants ...was quite different to today.
Methods
To quantify the degree to which cancer prevalence may be changing over time, the authors analyzed 143 skeletons from 6 cemeteries from the Cambridge area (6th‐16th centuries). Visual inspection coupled with screening using both plain radiographs and computed tomography scans was used to detect malignant lesions.
Results
A total of 3.5% of individuals showed evidence for metastases. Factoring in modern data for the proportion of those with cancer that die with bone metastases, this suggests a minimum prevalence of all cancers at the time of death in medieval Britain to be approximately 9% to 14% of adults.
Conclusions
This figure compares with a 40% to 50% prevalence of cancer at the time of death for modern Britain. The difference may be explained by the effects of modern carcinogens, the spread of viruses that trigger malignancy, industrial pollutants, and longer life expectancy.
Lay Summary
Until now, no one has been able to work out how common cancer was before the time people were exposed to tumor‐inducing chemicals from tobacco and industrial factories.
In this novel study, the authors have determined the percentage of people living in medieval Britain who had cancer metastases to bone at the time of their death and then compared that with modern data.
It was found that cancer was approximately 25% as common in medieval times as it is today.
This article suggests cancer was much more widespread in medieval times than was previously realized.
The authors have found that in medieval Britain, cancer was likely present in 9% to 14% of adults by the time of their death. This is considerably lower than the 40% to 50% figure for the modern populations and highlights the increase in cancer prevalence.
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